For as long as I can remember, I wanted to meet the “right” guy and be a mother. The question was, “when?” You see, I also had goals to go to graduate school and get a job as a professor at a university. Sadly, these goals are oftentimes incompatible for anyone in the workforce (click here for more information about this choice). There are many costs involved with motherhood,1 such as loss of wages, decay of skills and lowered productivity, child care expenditures, not to mention losing precious sleep! In fact, for each year of motherhood delay, women can expect a 9% increase in earnings and 3% increase in wages!1 Because of the costs of parenthood and benefits of employment, many women delay motherhood for the sake of establishing their careers. Between 1990 and 2002, birth rates in the U.S. have declined for women under age 30 and increased for women age 30 and over,2 and women aged 40-44 are the only group to have seen increased birth rates thru 2009.3 With the current economic recession, this pattern is likely to continue because many women have decided to delay motherhood due to the bad economy.4

Today, I find myself an assistant professor and a single mom of two amazing toddler boys (unfortunately, Mr. “Right” was not so “right” after all). I was in my mid-thirties when I gave birth to my first child and have not yet secured the holy grail of academia: job security (aka tenure). The choice to have children before tenure was hastened by the potential negative consequences of further delayed motherhood (e.g., increased risk of infertility, birth defects). My story is not unique; many academic women are often forced to choose between becoming mothers and negotiating a very rigid tenure timeline.5 Unfortunately, this is one of the reasons that many women do not pursue academic careers6or are worried about their future career success.7

What impact does having a family (or not) have on a scientific career? Recently, Elaine Ecklun and Anne Lincoln8conducted a large scale survey of 3,455 male and female biology and physics graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and faculty members across 31 universities. Women were generally less satisfied than men with their careers. But, importantly, they had similar levels of satisfaction if their non-work life was satisfying. Women were twice as likely as men to have fewer children because of their careers, and the decision to have fewer children because of one’s career goals was associated with greater life dissatisfaction. Interestingly, the decision to have fewer children due to career demands was associated with even greater life dissatisfaction for men than women!

So, delayed parenthood has a number of costs and benefits, not only for mothers, but also for fathers. There is no ‘right’ time to have kids, and researchers recommend making sure that there are family-friendly policies in all workplaces to encourage a healthy work-life balance. Many industrial/organizational psychologists (i.e., psychologists that study the workplace) will tell you: a happy worker, despite work-family stressors, is a productive worker when they work in a supportive organization.9

Sponsored:

California Cryobank’s Donor Egg Bank is a collaboration of premiere fertility practices sharing donor egg resources, allowing the shipment of high quality oocytes to most clinics within the United States, Canada, and internationally. We offer a variety of unique financial packages, including the 100% money back guarantee Assured Refund program. With the highest success rates within the frozen donor egg industry, we want to help make your dreams of having a family come true!

1Miller, A. (2011). The effects of motherhood timing on career path. Journal of Population Economics, 24, 1071-1100.

9Sidle, S. D. (2007). Pain or gain: Is there a bright side to juggling work and family roles? Academy of Management Perspectives, 21, 80-82.

Dr. Jennifer Harman – Science of Relationships articles | Website/CV
Dr. Harman’s research examines relationship behaviors that put people at-risk for physical and psychological health problems, such as how feelings and beliefs about risk (e.g., sexual risk taking) can be biased when in a relationship. She also studies the role of power on relationship commitment.

Infographics

Let’s Connect

Luvze® is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. *Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates.
Additionally, Luvze.com participates in various other affiliate programs, and we sometimes get a commission through purchases made through our links.